Give rabies shots at county low-cost spay/neuter program

Escambia County Animal Control Services puts down over 8,000 animals per year! One the most effective ways to reduce the number of animals put down is through the spaying and neutering of pets. The County does offer a low-cost spay/neuter program, however...

To participate in Escambia County’s Low-cost Spay/Neuter Program a dog or cat must have a current rabies vaccination. Currently, the county does not offer rabies vaccinations; they must be given by a veterinarian in their office or at some of the new pet vaccination clinics at local businesses.

The financial and logistic burden to people who financially qualify for the Low-cost Spay/Neuter Program makes it prohibitive for them to participate.

1. First a person needs to make an appointment at a veterinary clinic to obtain the vaccination. For most this involves calling multiple veterinary clinics to find out prices. The majority of vet clinics charge for the office visit ($35+) as well as the vaccination ($10+). Short Saturday office hours can make it difficult to get an appointment if one works during the week.

2. They then must travel to and from the veterinarian’s office for the shot.

3. Additional travel is needed to and from the Animal Shelter to apply for the program and make a surgery appointment.

4. Yet another car trip is needed on the day of surgery to and from the Animal Shelter.

Animals are not allowed on the local bus service. If a person doesn’t have a car, the logistics of obtaining a rabies shot makes it prohibitive for them to participate in the spay/neuter program. Even with a car, the cost of gasoline makes program participation a low priority.

For many of those eligible to participate in the program, spaying or neutering their pet is not a priority for a variety of reasons. We should try to make it as easy as possible for them to participate. Removing the hassle and higher cost of obtaining a rabies vaccination is an effective way to streamline the process.

Please sign this petition asking the Escambia County Commissioners to initiate the administration of low-cost rabies vaccinations through the Escambia County Animal Control Services Low-cost Spay/Neuter Program at the time of surgery for those pets and their owners who financially qualify for the program. Sharing this petition on your Facebook page would also be extremely helpful! Thank you!

Additional information: It was explained to concerned citizens that the County Commissioners did not originally approve the administration of rabies vaccinations by the program as not to compete with local veterinarians’ business.

After polling local veterinarians, 50% said they had no objection to rabies vaccinations being given to those eligible for the low-cost spay/neuter program.

The other 50% mainly had objections to the animals not receiving proper care in general or owners missing the opportunity to learn about proper care for their pets by receiving the vaccination through a veterinarian’s office. No veterinarian polled stated that the loss of revenue from rabies shots was the base for their objection.

One veterinarian objected to County paying for the cost of the shots. No one is suggesting that the County pay for the rabies vaccinations. Rabies vaccine can be purchased for under $2.00 per dose. The charges for using the program are already very low. The most expensive surgery is $30.00 for a female dog weighing more than 40lbs. Other dogs and cats are less expensive. An additional $2-$5 dollars could be added to the surgery charges to cover the rabies vaccine and the program charges would still be extremely reasonable. For more information about the Escambia County Low-cost Spay/Neuter Program, http://www.ecaafl.org/info/display?PageID=11227.

There is no medical reason why the rabies shot cannot be given at the same time as the spay/neuter surgery.

Please sign this petition asking the Escambia County Commissioners to initiate the administration of low-cost rabies vaccinations through the Escambia County Animal Control Services Low-cost Spay/Neuter Program at the time of surgery for those pets and their owners who financially qualify for the program.

Sharing this petition on your Facebook page would also be extremely helpful! Thank you!

Letter to

District 5 Commissioner, ChairKevin White

District 1 Commissioner, Vice ChairWilson Robertson

District 2 CommissionerGene Valentino

and 2 others

District 3 CommissionerMarie Young

District 4 CommissionerGrover Robinson

I just signed the following petition addressed to: Escambia County, FL Commissioners.----------------Give rabies vaccinations through the County Low-cost Spay/Neuter Program

Escambia County Animal Control Services puts down over 8,000 animals per year! One the most effective ways to reduce the number of animals put down is through the spaying and neutering of pets.

To participate in Escambia County’s Low-cost Spay/Neuter Program a dog or cat must have a current rabies vaccination. Since the county does not offer rabies vaccinations; they must be given by a veterinarian in their office or at some of the new pet vaccination clinics at local businesses.

The financial and logistic burden to people who financially qualify for the Low-cost Spay/Neuter Program makes it prohibitive for them to participate.

1. First a person needs to make an appointment at a veterinary clinic to obtain the vaccination. For most this involves calling multiple veterinary clinics to find out prices. The majority of vet clinics charge for the office visit ($35+) as well as the vaccination ($10+). Short Saturday office hours can make it difficult to get an appointment if one works during the week.

2. They then must travel to and from the veterinarian’s office for the shot.

3. Additional travel is needed to and from the Animal Shelter to apply for the program and make a surgery appointment.

4. Yet another car trip is needed on the day of surgery to and from the Animal Shelter.

Since animals are not allowed on the local bus service, if a person doesn’t have a car, the logistics of obtaining a rabies shot makes it prohibitive for them to participate in the spay/neuter program. Even with a car, the cost of gasoline makes program participation a low priority.

For many of those eligible to participate in the program, spaying or neutering their pet is not a priority for a variety of reasons. We should try to make it as easy as possible for them to participate. Removing the hassle and higher cost of obtaining a rabies vaccination is an effective way to streamline the process.

Additional information:It was explained to concerned citizens that the County Commissioners did not originally approve the administration of rabies vaccinations by the program as not to compete with local veterinarians’ business.

After polling local veterinarians, 50% said they had no objection to rabies vaccinations being given to those eligible for the low-cost spay/neuter program.

The other 50% mainly had objections to the animals not receiving proper care in general or owners missing the opportunity to learn about proper care for their pets by receiving the vaccination through a veterinarian’s office. No veterinarian polled stated that the loss of revenue from rabies shots was the base for their objection.

One veterinarian objected to County paying for the cost of the shots. No one is suggesting that the County pay for the rabies vaccinations. Rabies vaccine can be purchased for under $2.00 per dose. The charges for using the program are already very low. The most expensive surgery is $30.00 for a female dog weighing more than 40lbs. Other dogs and cats are less expensive. An additional $2-$5 dollars could be added to the surgery charges to cover the rabies vaccine and the program charges would still be extremely reasonable.

There is no medical reason why the rabies shot cannot be given at the same time as the spay/neuter surgery. ----------------